The road environment has changed markedly over the years. Train horns are ostensibly used to alert road users and are typically mandatory on approach to railway level crossings. However, they have increasingly been seen as a nuisance. Beyond their negative aspects, a study has yet to comprehensively evaluate train horn effectiveness and understand if they remain beneficial and relevant in the contemporary environment. Hence, this study aimed to provide evidence on the actual use of train horns. Field observations were conducted at 54 railway crossings across four Australian States. The effects of level crossing type, location, and environmental conditions were investigated in relation to train horn loudness as objectively measured at the crossing. Results revealed that train horns were not always used, presenting an issue for passive level crossings. However, when sounded, train horn use was redundant and insufficiently loud at level crossings equipped with bells. Taken together, current train horn practice was found to be highly variable and dependent on crossing type, remoteness, and individual train drivers, thus resulting in inconsistent warnings and raising important implications for standardisation.

多年来，道路环境发生了显着变化。火车喇叭表面上是用来提醒道路使用者的，通常在接近铁路平交道口时是强制性的。然而，它们越来越被视为令人讨厌的东西。除了它们的负面影响之外，一项研究还没有全面评估火车喇叭的有效性，并了解它们在当代环境中是否仍然有益和相关。因此，本研究旨在为火车喇叭的实际使用提供证据。在澳大利亚四个州的 54 个铁路道口进行了实地观察。研究了平交道口类型、位置和环境条件对在平交道口客观测量的列车喇叭响度的影响。结果显示，并不总是使用火车喇叭，提出了被动平交道口的问题。然而，当响起时，火车喇叭的使用是多余的，并且在配备铃铛的平交道口声音不够大。综上所述，目前的火车鸣笛实践被发现变化很大，并且取决于交叉口类型、偏远和个别火车司机，从而导致不一致的警告并对标准化产生重要影响。